If you are in the food service business, you know the importance of having cooling systems in your enterprise; consequently, one of the most important questions that you will come across is, “What is a blast chiller and why do I need one?"

A blast chiller is just like a refrigerator, and there are different brands available for clients with various tastes and preferences. This specialized chiller is intended to reduce the temperature of the foods quickly, and as such, these machines are quite popular in the (frozen) food industry, whether you are looking to sell ice cream, frozen yogurt or to set up a grand hotel.

The next step is to find out exactly how this machine works and some of the ways in which you can optimize the performance of the same. The principle of these machines as above mentioned is to provide rapid cooling services for the food product. Ideally, during this chilling process, the water particles inside the food undergo crystallization. The sizes of the crystals formed differ markedly depending on the conditions the food was subjected to. If freezing occurs in a warm setting, the crystals formed tend to be very large in size.

In a blast chiller, the very low temperatures provided provide the proper conditions for quick freezing which usually results in very tiny ice crystals. As a guiding principle to discovering answers to, “what is a blast chiller?” the tinier the crystals, the less damage there is to the food product. The explanation for this is that large crystals have a tendency to destroy the integrity of the cell wall hence leading to food spoilage. As a result, the smaller the crystals are, the less damage that there is to the food cells. Following storage of the food in the blast chiller, the foods may then be moved to a more convenient location.

What is a blast chiller? What importance does it serve?

A blast chiller may be strategically placed in a restaurant to serve as an attraction to your clients. There is a sense of transparency with this strategy since clients can see exactly what is going on. Strategic positioning easily gives your business an upper hand, creating for a unique stand and hence increasing sales. Another advantage of having a blast chiller is that you save on operational costs by ensuring food freshness. Since the chillers are available in different sizes, you are literally spoilt for choice.

Learn more about Blast Chillers in this free guide.